Japanese Geisha

This is one of our most unique and artistic paper umbrellas. It features a Japanese geisha dressed in traditional kimono with a floral pattern at the top of the shade. The geisha is a term used to describe a traditional Japanese female entertainer who also acted as a hostess. Her skills included the performance of classical music, games and various dances. The geisha first made her appearance in Japan around 600 AD. The early geisha girls were mostly wandering young women who came from displaced families due to war, famine and struggles the country was suffering from at that time. Some of the girls had to sell their bodies while others with a better education made a fair income by becoming entertainers of the upper class. In the year 794, the Imperial court moved the capital to Kyoto. The court at that time was obsessed with beauty and the geisha culture began to take flight, as skilled female performers and dancers thrived. Interestingly, Japanese tradition did not require men to be loyal to their wives. It was acceptable for men to frequent pleasure quarters called "yukaku" where they could indulge their passion; outside of the yukaku, it was illegal. During this time, around the 16th century, a combination of girl for hire and actress emerged called the "oiran". The oiran performed erotic dances on stage and it was called "kabuki", meaning to be outrageous and wild. Historically, geisha girls began training at a very early age. Some girls had no choice, and were forced to work in geisha houses, called "okiya". It was not uncommon for the daughters of the geishas to be brought up as geishas, usually becoming their mothers' successors. The apprentice geisha was known as a "maiko" and was bonded under contract to the okiya. The okiya supplied all the necessities of life (food, lodging, clothing) to the maiko and trained her as an apprentice geisha. When the apprentice became a fully fledged geisha, she had to repay all of her debt to the okiya. Only then could she move out and work independently. Such were the strict guidelines of the life of a geisha. In Japan today the geisha is a rare sight. In the early part of the 20th century, there were about 85,000 geishas. However, today there are only a couple of thousand in Japan, if that many. The decline of the geisha came about due to declining interest in the arts, a struggling economy in Japan for many years and the high expense and many years of training a Japanese geisha has to undergo. Still, the tradition of the geisha lives on in the form of artwork, movies, musicals, novels and anime. This beautiful geisha paper umbrella is our tribute to the Japanese geisha of past. Use this geisha umbrella for superb Asian decor, or take it out on the town for a fashionable look and protection from the sun.